The global conversation on Russia’s war in Ukraine took a decisive turn with a newly adopted United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding that Moscow immediately return all Ukrainian children it has “forcibly transferred or deported” since 2014. The measure, which received 91 votes in favor, 12 against, and 57 abstentions, represents one of the strongest international rebukes yet of Russia’s alleged systematic removal of Ukrainian minors from their homes, families, and communities.

Although nonbinding, the resolution intensifies mounting global pressure on the Kremlin, signaling a broad and growing consensus that Russia’s actions amount to grave breaches of international humanitarian law. Combined with the International Criminal Court’s active arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and his children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, the issue has evolved from a political dispute into one of the most disturbing humanitarian crises of the conflict.

While the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the forced transfer of children is not new. The resolution notes that Russia’s actions began as early as 2014, following its annexation of Crimea. Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, Mariana Betsa, emphasized that it is “unimaginable that someone could view children as war trophies,” underscoring Kyiv’s claim that at least 20,000 children have been deported. Russia, however, categorically rejects the accusations, dismissing the UN resolution as a “particularly cynical lie.”

The Ukrainian government says the true number is far higher-potentially several hundred thousand children-though verified cases remain just under 20,000. This discrepancy arises partly because many children were taken from regions under active fighting or from areas where........

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